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At the OCI Nitrogen ammonia plant, located at the Chemelot site in Geleen, The Netherlands, a project has been initiated to monitor major accident processes at the site. This contribution answers the question whether indicators can be derived from the barrier system status to provide information about the development and likelihood of the major accident processes in the ammonia production process. The accident processes are visualized as scenarios in bowties. This research focuses on the status of the preventive barriers on the so called ‘left-hand side’ of the bowtie, before a hazard becomes uncontrollable. Both the quality – expressed in reliability/availability and effectiveness – and the activation of the barrier system give an indication of the development of the accident scenarios and the likelihood of the central event. This likelihood is calculated as a loss of risk reduction compared to the original design. The calculation gives in an indicator called “preventive barrier indicator”, which should initiate further action. Based on an example, it is demonstrated which actions should be taken and their urgency.

Hazardous events in process plants like the leakage of dangerous substances can result in severe damage, and such an event is often defined as the TOP event of a fault tree analysis (FTA) in a quantitative risk analysis. The TOP event probability can then be calculated if the basic events probabilities are provided. These probabilities are often determined based on generic reliability data which do not necessarily reflect the operational and environmental characteristics of a plant of interest. This paper presents an approach based on Bayesian network (BN) analysis to explicitly include experience data collected during the plant operation to make the generic probabilities more plant specific. The approach is illustrated via a pressure vessel containing a toxic substance in an Ammonia production plant. In this case study, the failure rate distribution in the BN is updated as the new information becomes available during plant operation. The results show that the suggested approach effectively reflects the operating experience of a specific plant.

In The Netherlands, there are six large (petro)chemical clusters. Companies in these clusters are located next or close to each other. The policy of the Dutch government is to invest in these clusters, and to stimulate their growth. However, there is little scientific evidence that a cluster of (petro)chemical companies is safer than stand-alone (petro)chemical companies. This research, with an exploratory design, investigates parameters influencing safety of (petro)chemical clusters and stand-alone (petro)chemical companies. Insight into these parameters can lead to targeted initiatives (e.g. by government and companies) to improve safety in both clusters and stand-alone companies. Stimulating cooperation and sharing of knowledge is an important parameter, both in clusters and between clusters, and with non-clustered companies. Information exchange on accident scenarios between adjacent (petro)chemical companies with and without domino-designation requires extra attention. An overarching cluster body can contribute to a more safe, proactive and strategic cooperation. Furthermore, it is important that cluster policies include more than only spatial planning and external safety. Also after the establishment of clusters, companies should not be treated as individual companies, but as companies being part of a cluster, for instance when inspections are performed. Attention is needed for both domino- and escalation-effects, and possible domino-effects with (petro)chemical companies in clusters (just) below the Seveso-threshold. Integrated plants falling under the management of different companies require an adjusted approach to optimise safety.

In The Netherlands, there are six large (petro)chemical clusters. Companies in these clusters are located next or close to each other. The policy of the Dutch government is to invest in these clusters, and to stimulate their growth. However, there is little scientific evidence that a cluster of (petro)chemical companies is safer than stand-alone (petro)chemical companies. This research, with an exploratory design, investigates parameters influencing safety of (petro)chemical clusters and stand-alone (petro)chemical companies. Insight into these parameters can lead to targeted initiatives (e.g. by government and companies) to improve safety in both clusters and stand-alone companies. Stimulating cooperation and sharing of knowledge is an important parameter, both in clusters and between clusters, and with non-clustered companies. Information exchange on accident scenarios between adjacent (petro)chemical companies with and without domino-designation requires extra attention. An overarching cluster body can contribute to a more safe, proactive and strategic cooperation. Furthermore, it is important that cluster policies include more than only spatial planning and external safety. Also after the establishment of clusters, companies should not be treated as individual companies, but as companies being part of a cluster, for instance when inspections are performed. Attention is needed for both domino-A nd escalation-effects, and possible domino-effects with (petro)chemical companies in clusters (just) below the Seveso-threshold. Integrated plants falling under the management of different companies require an adjusted approach to optimise safety.

In order to control occupational accidents, it is crucial to have a clear view on the potential accident scenarios that are present in a company. The bow-tie method is a way to capture and visualise these accident processes in an integrative way. Included in the bow-tie are safety barriers (both technical as organisational and human) and management delivery systems that can intervene in these accident processes. Once bow-ties are composed, they are an excellent point of departure to assign indicators to the safety barriers and management delivery systems in order to control (i.e. prevent or mitigate) the accident scenarios. Two types of indicators can be distinguished. Firstly, there are general indicators that are linked to management delivery systems interrupting multiple accident scenarios, and which can yield a higher safety gain (as they intervene in multiple accident scenarios). Secondly, there are scenario-specific indicators targeting one specific accident scenario, and which can be valuable as they target a specific safety problem in the company. Some crucial aspects have to be taken into account when using indicators, such as sequentiality in follow-up and prioritization of indicators, and the focus on quality rather than quantity.

[Gutachtenauftrag] Die Verbände BREKO (Bundesverband Breitbandkommunikation e. V.) und VATM (Verband der Anbieter von Telekommunikations- und Mehrwertdiensten e. V.) beauftragten die Sozietät JUCONOMY Rechtsanwälte (JUCONOMY) sowie ZEW - Leibniz-Zentrum für Europäische Wirtschaftsforschung GmbH Mannheim (ZEW) mit der Erstellung eines Gutachtens zur ökonomischen und rechtlichen Sinnhaftigkeit von nachfrageseitigen Förderungen im Breitbandausbau in Form sogenannter "Voucher-Systeme". Das vorliegende Gutachten wurde angesichts dieses Gutachtenauftrags in zwei Teile unterteilt: Im ökonomischen ersten Teil (Abschnitte 2-4), erstellt und verantwortet von ZEW, werden unter anderem relevante ordnungspolitische Aspekte zur nachfrageseitigen Förderung angesichts der Marktsituation im Ausbau und in der Adoption von modernem Breitbandinternet erörtert und es wird auf Aspekte einer effizienten und effektiven Ausgestaltung von nachfrageseitigen Förderprogrammen eingegangen. Im rechtlichen zweiten Teil (Abschnitt 5), erstellt und verantwortet von JUCONOMY, werden unter anderem beihilferechtliche und kartellrechtliche Fragen erörtert sowie die konkrete Ausgestaltung von Voucher-Systemen für den deutschen Breitbandmarkt diskutiert. Ergänzend wurden Anhaltspunkte zur Berechnung der Höhe von unterschiedlichen Voucher-Formen dargestellt. Am Ende der beiden Gutachtenteile findet sich ein Gesamtfazit mit den jeweils wesentlichsten Politikimplikationen. Der gutachterlichen Prüfung soll auftragsgemäß insbesondere die Entscheidungspraxis der Kommission zu Grunde gelegt werden, wie sie zur Voucher-Förderung von ultraschnellen Breitbandanschlüssen in Griechenland bekannt ist (KOM, SFBB).

Ionische Flüssigkeiten (ILs) verfügen über einige vorteilhafte Eigenschaften für die Anwendung als Lösungsmittel in elektrochemischen Zellen, wie intrinsische ionische Leitfähigkeiten, große elektrochemische Stabilitätsfenster und kaum messbaren Dampfdrücke. Diese Eigenschaften machen ILs auch für die Anwendung in Metall/Sauerstoff-Batterien (Me/O2) anstelle von konventionellen molekularen organischen Lösungsmittel attraktiv. 1-Butyl-1-Methyl-Pyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imid ([Pyr14][TFSI]) hat sich dabei in den letzten Jahren in IL-basierten Me/O2-Systemen als Standard etabliert. Begrenzt wird die Zellperformance allerdings durch eine moderate ionische Leitfähigkeit von [Pyr14][TFSI], was in relativ geringen Lade-/Entladeraten resultiert. In dieser Arbeit wurde hierauf aufbauend 1-Methyl-1-Propyl-Pyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imid ([Pyr13][TFSI]) als Alternative zum etablierten [Pyr14][TFSI] untersucht. Die kürzere Alkylseitenkette am Kation ermöglicht theoretisch eine höhere ionische Leitfähigkeit und folglich eine verbesserte Batterieperformance von Me/O2-Zellen. Um die elektrochemischen Reaktionen in solchen IL-basierten Me/O2-Zellen präzise untersuchen zu können, ist eine stabile Referenzelektrode notwendig. Daher wurde in dieser Arbeit das in der Literatur für ILs bisher kaum beachtete Konzept einer Aktivkohle-basierten quasi-Referenzelektrode (AC-qRE) tiefergehend untersucht. Die AC-qRE zeigte hervorragende Potentialstabilitäten in ILs im Vergleich zu konventionellen Metalldraht-qREs und wurde infolgedessen für alle elektrochemischen Messungen in dieser Arbeit verwendet. Zur detaillierten Untersuchung der Eignung von [Pyr13][TFSI] als Alternative zu [Pyr14][TFSI] wurden für Me/O2-Zellen relevante physikalisch-chemische Eigenschaften von [Pyr13][TFSI] bestimmt und diese IL im Ag/O2-Modellsystem elektrochemisch untersucht. Es wurde gezeigt, dass [Pyr13][TFSI] im Vergleich zu [Pyr14][TFSI] über vergleichbare oder überlegene physikalisch-chemische Eigenschaften verfügt und reversible elektrochemische Redoxreaktionen von Ag und O2 in dieser IL möglich sind. [Pyr13][TFSI] eignet sich somit prinzipiell für den Einsatz in Me/O2-Batterien. Im darauffolgenden Schritt wurde der Einfluss der Wasserkonzentration und des Zellmaterials als kritische Faktoren für die Zellperformance von IL-basierten Me/O2-Batterien systematisch untersucht. Dazu wurde eine mathematische Korrekturfunktion für die gemessene Stromdichte entwickelt. Diese berücksichtigt die Veränderung der Leitfähigkeit einer IL bei der Zugabe von Wasser und ermöglichte somit erstmalig nicht nur einen qualitativen, sondern einen quantitativen Vergleich zwischen elektrochemischen Messungen in ILs mit verschiedenen Wasserkonzentrationen. Dadurch konnte gezeigt werden, dass gelöstes Wasser im Ag/O2-System den Keimwachstumsmechanismus von metallischem Ag bei der elektrochemischen Abscheidung verändert, nicht aber die Reversibilität der elektrochemischen Redoxreaktion von Ag beeinflusst. Im Gegensatz dazu wurde festgestellt, dass gelöstes Wasser eine reversible O2-Redoxchemie in [Pyr13][TFSI] verhindert. Folglich ist die Wasserkonzentration kritisch für die korrekte Zellchemie in IL-basierten Me/O2-Batterien, was am Beispiel des hier untersuchten [Pyr13][TFSI] gezeigt wurde. Ionic liquids (ILs) as solvents in electrochemical cells have some advantageous properties, such as intrinsic ionic conductivities, large electrochemical stability windows and extremely low vapor pressures. These properties make ILs attractive for use in metal/oxygen batteries (Me/O2) instead of conventional molecular organic solvents. In IL-based Me/O2-systems, 1-butyl-1-methyl-pyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ([Pyr14][TFSI]) has established itself as the standard IL in recent years. However, the moderate ionic conductivity of this IL limits charge/discharge rates in such Me/O2-batteries. Thus, 1-methyl-1-propyl-pyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ([Pyr13][TFSI]) was investigated in this work as an alternative for the established [Pyr14][TFSI]. Theoretically, the shorter alkyl side chain at the cation results in an increased ionic conductivity and consequently in an improved battery performance of Me/O2-cells with [Pyr13][TFSI]. A stable reference electrode is required in order to investigate the electrochemical reactions in such IL-based Me/O2-cells accurately. Therefore, the concept of an activated carbon-based quasi-reference electrode (AC-qRE) for ILs has been further investigated. This qRE-concept has not been adopted by the IL-community yet. However, the AC-qRE showed excellent potential stability in ILs compared to conventional metal wire qREs and was consequently used for all electrochemical measurements in this paper. For the detailed investigation of [Pyr13][TFSI] as an alternative to [Pyr14][TFSI] in Me/O2-cells, relevant physicochemical properties of [Pyr13][TFSI] were determined. This IL was further investigated in the electrochemical Ag/O2-system. It was shown that [Pyr13][TFSI] has comparable or superior properties compared to [Pyr14][TFSI] and reversible electrochemical redox reactions of Ag and O2 are possible in this IL. In general, [Pyr13][TFSI] is therefore suitable for use in Me/O2-batteries. In the following step, the concentration of water and the cell material were identified as critical factors for the cell performance of IL-based Me/O2-batteries and thus systematically investigated. For this purpose, a mathematical correction function for the measured current density was developed. This function takes into account the change in current density as a result of the change of the conductivity due to dissolved water in an IL. Thus for the first time, the correction function enables not only a qualitative but also a quantitative comparison between electrochemical measurements with different water concentrations. With this it could be shown, that dissolved water in the Ag/O2-system alters the growth mechanism of metallic Ag during electrochemical deposition, but does not influence the reversibility of the electrochemical Ag redox reactions. In contrast, dissolved water was found to prevent the reversible O2 redox chemistry in [Pyr13][TFSI]. Consequently, the water concentration is critical for the correct cell chemistry in IL-based Me/O2-batteries, as shown here by the example of [Pyr13][TFSI].

Procesveiligheidsindicatoren geven informatie over ongevalsscenario’s en over de effectiviteit van veiligheidsbarrières. Dat is de bedoeling. Het is de vraag of dat lukt. In de vakliteratuur wordt een onderscheid gemaakt tussen leidende (leading) en volgende (lagging) indicatoren. Dit lijkt overtuigend. Behalve bedrijven gebruikt ook de overheid deze indeling. Indicatoren worden vaak gekwantificeerd. Wat betekent dat getal? Veiligheidsindicatoren zijn ook binnen arbeidsveiligheid een onderwerp. Deze bijdrage beperkt zich voornamelijk tot indicatoren in procesveiligheid en in high-tech-high-hazard-sectoren. Het onderwerp veiligheidsindicatoren zal nog lang in de belangstelling blijven staan.

The creation of Europe’s Digital Single Market requires interoperable multilingual resources in the Linguistic Linked Open Data (LLOD) cloud. The PMKI project aims to create a public multilingual knowledge management infrastructure, able to establish and manage interoperability between multilingual classification systems (like thesauri) and other language resources. In this paper the standards used by PMKI and a methodology for automatic mapping between multilingual resources, based on an information retrieval framework, is presented.

55. Jahrestagung der Gesellschaft für Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaften des Landbaues e.V. vom 23. bis 25. September 2015

BACKGROUND: Recently, analysis of bone from knockout mice identified muscarinic acetylcholine receptor subtype M3 (mAChR M3) and nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subunit a2 as positive regulator of bone mass accrual whereas of male mice deficient for a7-nAChR (a7KO) did not reveal impact in regulation of bone remodeling. Since female sex hormones are involved in fair coordination of osteoblast bone formation and osteoclast bone degradation we assigned the current study to analyze bone strength, composition and microarchitecture of female a7KO compared to their corresponding wild-type mice (a7WT). METHODS: Vertebrae and long bones of female 16-week-old a7KO (n = 10) and a7WT (n = 8) were extracted and analyzed by means of histological, radiological, biomechanical, cell- and molecular methods as well as time of flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). RESULTS: Bone of female a7KO revealed a significant increase in bending stiffness (p

For quite some time long-only index funds have been suspected of being responsible for price increases in agricultural futures markets. This suspicion has prompted demands to drastically limit long-only index funds' scope of activity. Such demands and their underlying diagnoses, however, contradict the current state of scientific knowledge. To date, the empirically oriented literature has not provided conclusive evidence that long-only index funds with their futures transactions significantly have increased the level or volatility of agricultural commodity prices. Indeed, recent theoretical works suggest that long-only index funds, pursuant to their investment strategy, rather stabilize agricultural commodity prices and fulfill an important collateralization and competition function in agricultural futures markets. The commitment to these funds reduces risk premiums and thus enables food producers to hedge against price fluctuations at lower costs. Mitigated risk premiums motivate farmers to put larger parts of their harvests into storage, which counteracts seasonal price fluctuations. To safeguard sustainable global food supply, long-only index funds should not be subjected to stricter market entry regulations.

Long-only-Indexfonds stehen seit geraumer Zeit unter Verdacht, für die Preisanstiege an landwirtschaftlichen Warenterminmärkten verantwortlich zu sein. Hieraus wird die Forderung abgleitet, den Aktivitätsradius dieser Indexfonds drastisch einzuschränken. Allerdings stehen solche Forderungen sowie die zugrunde liegende Diagnose im Widerspruch zum aktuellen Stand wissenschaftlicher Erkenntnis. Die empirisch orientierte Literatur liefert bisher keine belastbare Evidenz, dass Long-only-Indexfonds mit ihren Termingeschäften das Niveau bzw. die Volatilität der Preise für Agrarrohstoffe signifikant angehoben haben. Neue theoretische Arbeiten weisen vielmehr darauf hin, dass Long-only-Indexfonds gemäß ihrer Anlagestrategie tendenziell die Agrarrohstoffpreise stabilisieren sowie eine wichtige Versicherungs- und Wettbewerbsfunktion auf Agrarmärkten erfüllen. Durch ihr Engagement sinken die Risikoprämien, so dass sich Nahrungsmittelproduzenten zu niedrigeren Kosten gegen Preisschwankungen absichern können. Die niedrigeren Risikoprämien motivieren Landwirte, einen größeren Teil ihrer Ernte einzulagern, was saisonalen Preisschwankungen entgegenwirkt. Im Sinne einer nachhaltigen Sicherung der globalen Nahrungsmittelversorgung sollte von strengen Marktzutrittsregulierungen der Long-only-Indexfonds abgesehen werden.

Long-only-Indexfonds stehen seit geraumer Zeit unter Verdacht, für die Preisanstiege an landwirtschaftlichen Warenterminmärkten verantwortlich zu sein. Hieraus wird die Forderung abgleitet, den Aktivitätsradius dieser Indexfonds drastisch einzuschränken. Allerdings stehen solche Forderungen sowie die zugrunde liegende Diagnose im Widerspruch zum aktuellen Stand wissenschaftlicher Erkenntnis. Die empirisch orientierte Literatur liefert bisher keine belastbare Evidenz, dass Long-only-Indexfonds mit ihren Termingeschäften das Niveau bzw. die Volatilität der Preise für Agrarrohstoffe signifikant angehoben haben. Neue theoretische Arbeiten weisen vielmehr darauf hin, dass Long-only-Indexfonds gemäß ihrer Anlagestrategie tendenziell die Agrarrohstoffpreise stabilisieren sowie eine wichtige Versicherungs- und Wettbewerbsfunktion auf Agrarmärkten erfüllen. Durch ihr Engagement sinken die Risikoprämien, so dass sich Nahrungsmittelproduzenten zu niedrigeren Kosten gegen Preisschwankungen absichern können. Die niedrigeren Risikoprämien motivieren Landwirte, einen größeren Teil ihrer Ernte einzulagern, was saisonalen Preisschwankungen entgegenwirkt. Im Sinne einer nachhaltigen Sicherung der globalen Nahrungsmittelversorgung sollte von strengen Marktzutrittsregulierungen der Long-only-Indexfonds abgesehen werden.

This paper is a case study that describes the production of 3D visualisations for forensic maps that were used in a fraud case. The production path is followed from identifying the sources of data, the acquisition of the data (Source); the creation of the various 3D visualisations (Make); and to the final report (Deliver). The various production processes are the acquisition of the data, the selection of software, data clean-up and preparation, the 3D mapping, and the writing of the report based on the analysis. The production path is based on supply chains and supply chain management using the Supply-Chain Operations Reference (SCOR) model as a guideline. Three distinct periods of interest to the investigation were identified and mapped. The aim of the paper is to illustrate the use of supply chains and supply chain management to guide the production of maps. Supply chain management can be used for any type of project whether small or very large and complex.

Der vorliegende Bericht dokumentiert die Arbeiten und Ergebnisse des Forschungsprojekts NET-ELAN (Laufzeit 01.12.2008 bis 29.02.2012), das vom Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Technologie unter den Kennzeichen 0328004A bis E gefördert wurde. Das Projekt beantwortet die Fragen, ob und wie Fahrzeuge mit elektrifizierten Antriebssystemen und einer externen Batterieladung am öffentlichen Stromnetz sowohl als Energiespeicheroption als auch zur verbraucherseitigen Nachfragesteuerung und zur Einbindung fluktuierender Stromerzeuger sinnvoll eingesetzt werden können. [...]

Olive oil is a typical product of the Mediterranean basin, where almost all of the world production takes place. Due to campaigns for a healthier way of living, consumption of olive oil has also increased in non Mediterranean countries in recent years. As a result of the expanded demand the different participants in the supply chain of olive oil strengthen their efforts to obtain a higher market share in these non-traditional markets. Germany with 82.5 million inhabitants is of special interest for olive oil producing countries as it serves as an attractive export destination. Although during the period 1997/98 Germany imported only about 2.6 % of the world?s imports of olive oil and consumed about 0.9 % of the world consumption, it is considered to be a very dynamic market (Ward et al., 2002). Olive oil becomes more and more popular in Germany not only through the ?for a healthier life? campaigns but also through immigrants coming from the Mediterranean basin. Another reason for the growing popularity of olive oil is the increasing convergence of the consumption habits of the European people as a consequence of the expanded tourism to southern countries. The Germans are integrating the Mediterranean diet into their own habits and thus changing gradually their way of cooking in using more and more olive oil in their dishes. Against this background this report aims to analyse the supply chain of olive oil in Germany. For this purpose the report is organised in five chapters. Following the introduction, the second chapter deals with the demand and the third one with the supply of olive oil in Germany. Quality and labelling issues related with the consumption of olive oil are discussed in the fourth chapter. In the fifth chapter the institutions and organisations in Germany occupied with olive oil are briefly presented. After the conclusions follows the annex including detailed tables.